The present invention relates to the field of lottery or promotional games. More specifically, it involves lottery or promotional games using multiple jig saw puzzles which can be completed only upon repeated tries using a combination of both luck and skill.
Promotional games using jig saw puzzles which must be completed by or solved by the contestants are known. U.S. Pat. No. 3,512,780 issued to Allison on May 19, 1970, discloses a puzzle game which relies primarily on the luck of the contestants in collecting each of the pieces necessary to complete a rather simple puzzle. By contrast, U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,664 issued to Penick et al. on June 29, 1982, discloses a promotional game where the contestants are given all the necessary pieces and each contestant must exercise skill to complete the puzzle. U.S. Pat. No. 1,570,906 issued to McCord on Jan. 26, 1926 combines these elements by requiring each contestant to have both the luck to collect all the necessary pieces and the skill to complete a relatively complex puzzle.
Although such games as these may present an adequate level of challenge for many persons, these games do not compare favorably with other promotional games presently available. As consumers have had greater exposure to such games in recent years, demand has increased for games having multiple activities and on-going challenges. These criteria are particularly desired by merchants who wish to engage their customers and encourage an on-going game relationship which promotes repeated sales.
Merchants also desire promotional games which require skill. Such games tend to retain the customer's interest longer and they are subject to less stringent government regulations than games of mere chance.
In light of the foregoing, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a promotional game using a jig saw puzzle format and relatively challenging puzzles which provide an additional level of challenge and activity by requiring contestants to complete multiple puzzle boards selecting from a single pool of puzzle pieces.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a promotional game which can provide multiple levels of activities and multiple ways to win so to maintain and maximize customer interest.